Star by Star
by AmazingGraceless
Summary: Luke Skywalker has agreed to train Rey for the good of the galaxy. Rey is progressing much more quickly than Luke anticipated in her studies, and he fears he may not be able to help her control her emotions. This fear is strengthened when they discover that Rey is connected to Kylo Ren in the Force. As Rey learns about who Ben Solo was, she begins to feel compassion for him.
1. Apprentice

Rey gasped, and her hand slapped the rock in attempt to catch her fall. She looked around wildly, her mind trying to comprehend what she had seen. The images flashed through her mind. Too quick and overwhelming, she felt as if she were drowning-

Sensing her teacher's approach, she looked up to see a concerned Luke striding quickly toward her. Instead of helping her to her feet, however, he simply sat down beside her.

"Breathe," he said, his sky-blue eyes twinkling kindly. "Just breathe."

Nodding, Rey crept her way into a seated position, and slowed her breathing until she did not feel as if the Force was choking her, rising over her head.

"Now tell me," he said calmly. "What do you see?"

Rey closed her eyes, and the vision seemed to slow down alongside her breathing. First she saw luminous beings cast in blue. They felt like home, in an odd way. They felt like the family she'd been waiting for her entire life.

"Light," she said decisively. Then the next scene played, and hatred and vengeance washed over her, reminding her of the thought she had during her duel with Kylo Ren: Kill him. Her vision was almost completely dark except for hints of red.

"Darkness," she said, and she concentrated further. The light and the dark, mixed together in something that felt. . .

"A balance."

"It's so much bigger that," Luke said, as if coming to this realization for the first time. "The light and the dark. . . There's so much more in between."

Rey opened her eyes, and got to her feet, Luke springing up beside her surprisingly easily for a man of his age. Something still didn't feel right. She turned to the horizon. The sun was setting beautifully against the sea. It was a type of beauty Rey still hadn't gotten used to, not even after a week of the sight every evening. It wasn't anything like Jakku. The water was striking, and it attracted her in ways she couldn't explain.

She could not place what had caused her bad feeling. She turned to Luke. Never had she been more eager to learn more.

"Did I get it right?" she asked eagerly.

"You did good, Rey," he said, still frowning. "You're progressing more quickly than I thought you would."

Rey smiled. "Thank you, Master Luke-"

"Just be careful," Luke interrupted. "Because the majority of my students were able to progress at a more even rate, we were able to work out any of the control issues they might have had relating to it. Granted, all but one of my prodigies were able to keep their emotions in check as well as the urges of the dark side."

"And the one that didn't?"

Luke's blue eyes looked into hers sadly and piercingly. "You know what happened to him."

* * *

 _The rain fell around them, and lightning crackled in the air, thunder making the ground vibrate. Rey heard the lightsaber and she turned, to see Kylo Ren stab one of his own men. She fumbled for her lightsaber and ignited it. She held it out, waiting to see what would happen next. He marched towards her, and placed his hand around her wrist, and gently moved her lightsaber side, embracing her._

* * *

A cry escaped Rey's lips as her eyes flew open in a cold sweat. Her heart thrummed within her chest. She slowly sat up. Luke was not disturbed by her cry. Artoo rolled over to her, chirping softly.

"I'm fine, Artoo," she assured him. "It was just a bad dream."

A bad dream that, Rey had to admit, was haunting her every night. She brushed the tendrils out of her face. This dream had haunted her ever since the first time she had grasped the Skywalker lightsaber. Not for the first time, she wondered why this specific part kept coming back to her. None of the other Force visions had come back to her. Why this one?

She glanced out the window. The last week she had spent memorizing this new sky, completely different from Jakku's. A small part of her, despite how much of a hell it really was, missed the _Hellhound Two_ and her home there. She'd waited for fourteen years for her parents to return. Letting go of that felt like walking along the cliff side of Anch-To.

"The longing you seek is ahead."

That was what Maz Kanata had told her. She glanced back at Luke. And somehow, she was right. Rey found herself belonging with Luke, in the Force and with the Jedi. She never wanted this feeling to go away.

* * *

 **AN: First, I'd like to note that this story is inspired by _The Last Jedi_ trailer, somthere may be spoilers for the movie. Second, I'd like to thank the Reylo community for making this journey completely worth it.**


	2. Library of the Force

The next morning started with Luke and Rey making their breakfast, a stew made from the herbs that grew all along the island. Luke took care to teach Rey the safe ones from the poison, and he helped her pot another flower and line it up in the windowsill with the other saplings.

Little quirks like these had opened him up to her. Seeing her clumsily pot another flower and her hazel eyes go wide at the sight of more green than had ever been seen on Jakku.

"I think it's time I showed you something," Luke said when they were done potting the plant. "It might be able to help you."

"With what?"

"With learning to control your dark side."

* * *

Rey stared at the expanse of rock Luke had led her to. She'd seen this when she was running around the island with Luke, but never had she seen the Jedi symbol painted on the rock. Luke stretched out his hand, and looked to her.

"Reach out," he said, his voice soothing. "Imagine the rock to be opening. Let the Force flow through you and bond with that rock."

Rey easily was able to calm herself and let the Force flow through her. Idly, a part of her wondered how many portions she might have been able to get for herself with the use of the Force. It wasn't honest, but neither was Unkar Plutt.

She pushed the thought out of her mind, and opened her eyes in time to see the rocks moving aside to let her and Luke through. She set down her hand, amazed at what she had seen. What she had done.

Luke led the way through to a giant tree with three major limbs and glowing leaves in red and blue each on one side, a grand violet stemming from the. middle branch. Rey could not help but stare at the sight and feel at home, like she did in her vision.

"We'll be going into the heart of the tree," Luke told her. "Just follow me."

Luke took her down to the roots, and escorted her through the giant opening they made, almost like a cave in appearance. As it began to get dark, Luke stretched out his hand once more and Rey could feel the shift in the Force especially strong here as he rubbed two molecules together to create a hovering light.

Rey attempted to mimic that, and while she briefly created a spark, it did not really stay, not like Luke's did.

"It was a good try," he assured her without turning around. "But you really should just follow me for right now."

And so she did, trusting in her mentor. He led her through several passages, until they were in a large room with several books on the natural shelves the walls made.

Luke pulled gloves out of the pocket of his poncho and pulled one of the books down after putting them on. He handed it to Rey.

"I want you to read this," he said.

"What is it?" Rey asked as she took it into her hands. It felt old and flimsy, like it would fall apart if she ran her fingers down the spine.

"It's a teaching guide from the first Jedi," Luke said. "It might be able to teach you to-"

"I can't read that," she said, nodding towards the cover.

"Oh, right," Luke said, as if suddenly remembering. "Come on, sit down, we'll read it now."

"Really?"

"Of course," Luke said with a gentle smile.


	3. Of Boldness and Aster

"The way of the Jedi, despite what many who aspire our ranks believe, is not an easy one," Luke read aloud. "Many have the gift but do not have the temperance that is necessary for one to control that gift. It is possible to develop the temperance, but it must be done with care."

"I thought you said when you accepted me as your Apprentice that I had the right traits to be a Jedi," Rey said worriedly. Is Luke going back on his promise?

"And you do," Luke said, looking near helpless for a minute. "I just thought that maybe we'd start in the introduction and work our way forward."

"Oh." Rey nodded. She glanced over Luke's shoulder at the page. The symbols were beautiful, even if she couldn't understand them.

"Actually, let's skip a few pages, it's really boring," Luke said, scanning the pages. "Ah, there it is. Here's a meditation that I think will help. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath."

Rey did so, not sure what this had to do with anything. It seemed like half of the Jedi way was determined by how one breathed. Not exactly what she expected, to say the least.

"Now, I want you to focus on your fears," Luke said. "Now tell me. What is it that you're afraid of?"

"Water," Rey immediately confessed. "Drowning. That Finn's dead. Snow. Cold. Ice. Visions."

"I see," Luke said.

His presence in the Force wrapped around her like a light and a blanket. It was very fatherly, something Rey found herself craving more of.

"My parents. . . Maz said that they're never coming back," Rey said, and she found herself sobbing as her mind started to reach a dark place-

"That's enough."

To her surprise, the old man hugged her, again, like she just barely remembered her father doing. She hugged him back, but then suddenly broke away.

"I just-"

"I understand," Luke said patiently. "I will tell you what happened to your parents. Not yet, but soon."

"You know what happened to my parents?" Rey asked.

"I decided I wouldn't mention it until I had a little more proof," Luke admitted. "And I knew how to tell you."

Her hazel eyes met Luke's sky-blue ones.

"Tell me who my parents were."

Her eyes were both pleading and commanding.

"I think I can do better than that," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "I'll show you."

He pulled a slim metal cylinder out of his robes, his own lightsaber, and then looked to her.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"I've been waiting for fourteen years-of course I'm ready," she answered. He gave her a sad, knowing smile. Then she took it. With a jolt, she landed in a jungle alongside Luke.

"A small trick I've learned," he said with a smile. "You said you had visions when you first got your lightsaber? This is a controlled version of that. Come along."

Rey nodded, following Luke to a cracked stone pavilion. Several people of all species and races stood in a mass before a much younger Luke Skywalker. It could not have been too long after the Battle of Endor. Rey could feel the Force was strong and luminous in all of these people. Even Leia was present, standing the closest to her brother with already a bit of tummy showing through her loose brown gown.

"Today we begin a new chapter in our order," Luke began. "We will make mistakes. We will learn. We will grow. We will improve from the old order, and we'll make the rules. With the help of the New Republic, the Jedi will return!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Rey had to agree. Luke had undeniable charisma. Still, the older Luke continued through the crowd, first leading Rey to a woman with dark hair like hers, a similar build, and extremely pale skin. She smiled brightly, like the Twin Suns of Tatooine and wore a Republic military jacket over more casual clothes. The name tag on the jacket identified her as Dorovio Bold.

Rey reached out, touching her mother's shoulder. Dorovio looked over her shoulder immediately. Rey stepped back, afraid. Dorovio just smiled, and then looked back to the younger Luke.

Rey watched her hungrily, trying to memorize the features of the mother she barely remembered.

"That was your mother, Dorovio Bold-Red Seven," Luke explained. "I'll tell you more about her after we find your father."

Rey nodded, and she followed the older Luke deeper into the heart of the crowd. A young man with dark hair, although not nearly as dark as Dorovio's, with hazel eyes identical to Rey's, stood there calmly, not taking his eyes off of Luke, only the faintest twitch of a smile on his face.

"Kyp Aster," Luke explained. "Red Eleven. I'll tell you more."

With that, they flashed back to Anch-To, and Luke arose. He shelved the Jedi book, and returned to Rey's side.

"First, your mother," Luke said, leading Rey out of the Force Tree. "Dorovio Bold came to the Rogue Squardron after the destruction of Alderaan. She was born and raised in Imperial Utopia, as they called it, along with some of the great Imperial leaders. But she changed her mind about them, after that."

"Really?" Rey's eyes widened. "She sounds brave."

"She was," Luke said with a smile. "Fearless, almost. She was the one who led every exercise and volunteered for every mission."

"Wow," was all Rey could say to that.

"As for Kyp," Luke said. "He ran away from his home on Coruscant. His twin brother was in the TIE squadrons, almost made it to Inferno levels, if I remember correctly. Kyp, however, sought me out after the destruction of the Death Star. He was one of the first to ask me to create a Jedi Academy. I couldn't at the time, but he did join the Rogue Squardon."

"Interesting," Rey said, happy to see sunlight again as she exited the Force Tree.

"That would probably be the best word to describe Kyp," Luke agreed.

"Tell me more," Rey said, as she and Luke went strolling off into the sunset.


	4. Balancing Act

"But let's return to your fears," Luke said as they sat out on the stones, watching the waves crash against the shore and the stars above. "It's important to acknowledge them. Maybe even face them. Understand why you fear those things. If you understand why, it can make it easier to keep them in check."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Rey asked.

"If you're progressing a little faster, we need to talk about things like these," Luke said. "Our feelings are one of the most important parts of us, along with our memories, and feelings are the most important parts of being a Jedi."

"I thought it was the lightsaber," Rey joked.

"True," Luke admitted as a smile cracked his weary face. "But in all seriousness, the Dark Side can take advantages of your feelings, can make them consume you."

"I don't want to use it anyway," Rey said defensively. "It made Kylo Ren who he was."

"I'm not against the Dark Side as a whole," Luke said. "I may have used lightning a little too much for my own good. But I learned to control my emotions. The Force is balanced between selfishness and selflessness- both are needed, and both can be used for the greater good. Much like the Force. Besides, Ben was once very much like you."

"Like me?" Rey asked, finding herself intrigued in a twisted way. "How?"

"I'll show you," Luke said, and he offered his lightsaber to her. Less hesitantly this time, she took the lightsaber. She found herself standing on top of a Massassi temple at night. The jungle seemed to hum, even more alive at night.

Rey looked down to see Luke leading his Padwans up a mountain. She stepped forward, and found herself standing on the edge of a volcano. Tall rocks surrounded her. She stepped back as Luke approached the edge, looking over it. He nodded, satisfied. He then turned to his students. Rey realized there were several more, and they were all ten years older, and some were even kids.

"You need to figure out how to get across the volcano," he said. "Trust in yourselves, and each other. I know you can do it."

Dorovio Bold nodded, and she immediately stretched her hand out. One of the tall rocks hovered up, and then set itself out one step from the edge. Dorovio smiled in satisfaction, and hopped on it. Her eyes widened, as if in a panic. Her brow furrowed in further concentration, and the rock began to drop.

"No!" Rey cried, reaching out her hand at the exact same time as Kyp Aster. Dorovio looked to him, relieved, taking a deep breath. She nodded, smiled, and then made another rock appear in front of her. A Dathomiri woman stepped onto the rock with Dorovio and then stepped onto the next rock. Soon, all of the students were floating on masses of rocks as Luke watched from the sideline. Even the little kids were out there, Rey observed in mild horror.

One of the kids, a girl of about ten in similarly Dathomiri clothing and gear, was having trouble with the exercise. Rey cried out as the girl tried to hold up a fellow student's rock- Kyp's rock. He was beginning to descend and the rock shook violently. He cried out, struggling to keep Dorovio's rock floating, but everyone's rock was falling and everyone was losing concentration. This did not help the Dathomiri girl at all. The rock finally threw Kyp off and there were screams for second as everyone violently descended.

Only to stop. Then rise, slowly, surely. Ben Solo stood on a rock, rising with the rest of them, eyes closed and at peace despite the fiery environment. Kyp was floated to the other side, as were the others. Ben then floated his own rock over to the other side, and Kyp helped him off. He dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. He looked up.

"Is everyone alright?"

"They're fine," Dorovio said, giving Kyp a knowing glance.

* * *

Rey was startled to return to present. Luke stared at her sadly. "Not a great decision of mine. I'd done it before with my older students and it went over fine. . . Still not a great decision."

Rey did not know what to say to that. She struggled to form words. "He was kind."

"Very much," Luke said with a sad smile. "Although I don't think that's the best demonstration. He had a need to save anyone in trouble. Without a second thought."

"How can someone like that become a monster?" Rey demanded.

"I still don't know for sure," Luke admitted. "But I think Snoke had his claws in him for much longer than any of us knew."

"When did you know?" Rey asked.

"He was fifteen," Luke said, his eyes drifting to a far off place. "The senators were already afraid of the Jedi. She wanted to make sure he was away from that. Leia sent him to me, and that's when I sensed a dark cloud hanging around him. I tried my hardest. . . But it wasn't enough. I trusted him too much and didn't give him the attention I should've."

He sighed. "That's why I'm trying my hardest with you, Rey. You are my last apprentice. My time will come soon enough. I'm tired, Rey. Everything I've worked for has come undone. I need someone to carry on the Jedi."

"I understand," Rey said, thinking of what she'd seen of her mother in the vision. So eager, so sure. It was easy to see what her father might have seen in her. She wanted to be like that. Strong, sure, eager, confident.

"But that hopefully won't be for a few more years," Luke said. "I plan to train you more. I need you to tell me if you feel something wrong. I'm not losing you like I lost Ben."

"I will," Rey promised.


	5. Tales of the Praxeum

Rey opened her eyes. Her arms were starting to strain under her own weight. Trees were floating with bits of the ground. Artoo beeped angrily as he went up into the air with the rocks.

"Sorry," she said, and she focused on setting him back down to the ground. She crashed to the ground, unable to hold herself up any longer. The rocks and trees froze. Rey seated herself more comfortably and continued with the exercise.

"Show off," Luke teased.

Rey couldn't help but laugh.

"Put it all down, and I'll cook up some fish," Luke promised. "You're excelling very well, Rey."

* * *

"Rey!"

She opened her eyes and she was standing in the hallways of the Starkiller Base once more.

"REY!"

This time, she recognized it as her mother's voice.

"Mummy!" she cried, feeling like the five year-old girl that was left on Jakku again. She ran towards the sound, and turned the corner to her interrogation room on Starkiller Base. Her parents were strapped to the interrogation chairs, as young as they were during the visions Luke showed her.

"Rey, you have to leave," Kyp said.

"No, no, I can get you out," Rey insisted, and she looked around desperately for a button, something, anything.

"Rey, leave!" Dorovio sobbed.

"I'm not leaving you-"

"It's too late, he's here," Kyp insisted.

Rey heard the purring noise in the Force she recognized all too well. . . Except it mirrored her heartbeat. Before she could turn, a creature's claws grabbed her by the shoulders. She kicked and punched wildly as the creature pulled her into pure darkness.

 _Power. . the power to decide if a murderer lives or dies. . . The power to inflict justice as you choose. I will make you pure power. . ._

The last thing Rey heard was the sound of Kylo Ren's lightsaber.

* * *

"Rey, calm down, calm down," Luke said, radiating the cool calm. "It's okay, it's just a dream."

Rey stopped fighting her sheets and sat up, looking around for the creature.

"Do you want to tell me what you saw?" he asked.

Rey hesitated. Then she shook her head. And waited one more moment. "Can you tell me more about my parents?"

"Take it," Luke said, handing his lightsaber. "It will show you all that it was present for."

"It? Why?" Rey asked.

"The kyber crystal gives it a quasi-sentience," Luke said. "It takes on an imprint of the last user."

"Thank you," Rey said, taking it.

"No problem, kiddo," Luke said, and he rumpled Rey's hair good-naturedly, and crawled back into his bed. He was snoring and asleep again faster than Rey believed to be possible.

She turned back to her lightsaber. She closed her eyes.

* * *

Then she was standing in a hangar in the Rebel Alliance. It was clearly in a ship. A much younger Luke, garbed in black, was heading towards an Imperial transport. But Rey was drawn to the X-wing pilots. Dorovio was saying something to a woman in the Tanaab Aces and then ran to her X-wing. Standing under it was Kyp Aster.

"May the Force be with you, Bold," he said.

"You as well, Aster," she said with a smile. They hugged, and the scene cut to Endor. The Rogue Squadron had just touched down. Dorovio threw off her helmet, her life-support, her jumpsuit unzipped to reveal the black tank top underneath as she ran at Kyp, embracing him once more. She then embraced other crew mates, but kept looking Kyp's way during the party.

It cut again to scenes of them talking on the rooftops of Yavin IV at night, on missions, and all other sorts of things. Rey continued to watch, fascinated. She watched them grow closer and closer, until it then cut to a wedding ceremony on Coruscant.

Finally, it settled on a scene of a five year-old version of her walking alongside a fifteen year-old Ben. Kyp was typing on a datapad while Dorovio sat with her head on his shoulder, watching the kids.

Rey glanced back at her parents, and then followed the teenage Ben. She had known him as a child?

Before she could get her answer, the vision disappeared.

* * *

She stared out at the sun rising over the island. She felt drawn to the Force Tree, somehow. She pulled on her boots, vest, and arm-warmers, and placed her lightsaber and blaster in her pouch. She slung her staff over her shoulders, and began to set out for the Force Tree as the sun rose over the island.


	6. Sword of the Jedi

Rey sat in the heart of the Force Tree, unsure of what about it attracted her. She felt at peace, and safe nestled underneath the roots of the tree. She felt safe from the creature in her dream.

As much as she tried to forget it, the truth was that she couldn't keep it out of her head. What was it? And why would it promise a lonely orphan of Jakku of all people power? What terrified her most, of all the questions and possibilities, however, was the idea of all that power in her hands. The ability to inflict justice as she chose, the creature had said.

She couldn't help but think of what she would do with such absolute power. End the First Order. The Knights of Ren and their leader. Get revenge on Unkar Plunkett. Bring back the Jedi stronger than ever before.

She shivered at the idea. Luke would never promise anything like that, from what she knew of him. In fact, if anything, he'd try to restrict her power. . .

She shook her head. Rey did not want to become like Kylo Ren. He was a monster. Whatever that creature offered would make her just like him. And according to her dream, he murdered her parents. The idea of becoming like her parents' murderer was abhorrent. Utterly repelling.

"I thought I'd find you here," Luke said.

Rey scrambled to her feet to see Luke leaning against a wall formed by the tree. He smiled.

"Relax," he said. "Might as well, considering what's coming."

"What do you mean?" Rey asked, her heart beginning to pound.

"I sensed my nephew's presence within you last night," Luke said. "He knows where we are through you."

"How?" Rey asked.

"He invaded your mind, and then you invaded his," Luke said. "Those invasions leave a little bit of each other inside the parties involved. The fact that it was reversed for even a few seconds strengthened the bond."

"What do we do, then?" Rey asked.

"I tell you Ben's story," Luke said. "It may save all of us."

"Alright, are you going to show me with the lightsaber?" Rey asked, her hand extended towards Luke.

"We're going to see it through yours," Luke said. "But first, sit down. We're going to be here for a while."

Rey took her lightsaber from her belt, and extended it to Luke. He took it, and they were at the Massassi temples again.

* * *

A younger Luke stood on the upper platform, stepping down to Kyp Aster and a party of other young Jedi.

"How did the mission go?" Luke asked.

"We recovered the archive data," Kyp said. "The First Temple was on Anch-To, according to this map. Not Jedha, like historians previously thought."

"Interesting," Luke said. A gray-haired tall woman with several obvious cybernetics handed a drive to Luke, who pocketed it. Kyp then reached into a bag at his waist and pulled out the lightsaber.

Luke's eyes widened. "You found it? I thought it was lost!'

"We all did," the gray-haired woman said. "Kyp sensed it, and found it. Almost got killed by Ben for it."

"I see," Luke said. "Thank you, all. Please, go get some rest. Kyp, stay here. I have a few things to talk about with you."

Kyp stoically nodded as the others took off. Once the room was empty, Luke placed a hand on Kyp's shoulder.

"You were very brave to do this," Luke said. "Especially considering your twin."

Kyp nodded, starting to tear up, despite all efforts to stop that.

"I know what it's like," Luke assured him as the young man's shoulders began to shake violently.

Kyp nodded, still crying. "We grew up together. Identical."

"It's disturbing, seeing that he's staying on the Empire's path," Luke said.

He nodded once more.

"I have some good news, however," Luke continued.

"What?" Kyp asked.

"Due to your extensive Jedi lore and the service you have done in the name of the Jedi Order, I elevate you to the rank of Jedi Master," Luke said. "Welcome, Kyp Aster. You are the Master of History and along with Tionne Soulsar, will be the main recorder of the past orders and the current one."

"Thank you, Master Skywalker," Kyp said.

"You know that you can call me Luke," Luke reminded him.

* * *

Then the scene changed.

Luke hurried into the bedroom of a fifteen-year-old boy in the same location. The boy tossed and turned, muttering creepy phrases like "kill" and "power" for what seemed like forever until Luke stretched out his hand. Suddenly, the boy was awake. He jerked up, looking around in a panic. His features softened upon seeing Luke. He mbraced his uncle, and Luke was just soothing the boy.

The scene changed again.

A girl sat barefoot out on the stone steps. She could have only been five years old at the oldest and had three buns in her hair. Ben Solo sat next to her, smiling and laughing with her.

"Mummy and Daddy had to leave for a mission," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm glad you're still here, Ben."

"Me too, Rey," Ben said.

A younger Luke was watching the two from behind, and smiled.

* * *

Dorovio Bold-Aster and Kyp Aster sat with Luke.

"I'm afraid Iden Versio's up to something," Dorovio said. "We need to monitor the Remnant of the Empire. I'm afraid they'll become so much bigger than the New Republic is anticipating."

"I understand that," Luke said. "And I've approved your mission. You two and Rey will pose as a traveling family. You'll take a look at your home planet, Dorovio, and see what's going on. Report back to me as often as possible-understand?"

"Of course," Dorovio said.

"And that reminds me," Luke said, and he pulled out the lightsaber once more. "I have been thinking about a successor."

"A successor?" Kyp asked.

"I'm not going to live forever," Luke said. "You two have been among my greatest students."

"I don't want it," Kyp informed Luke.

"I thought you would say that. Dorovio Bold Aster, I name you the Sword of the Jedi, my successor and the next Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order," he said. "Do you accept?"

"I do."

* * *

Ben Solo ran to the floor of a strange gray landscape with red-leafed trees. He was seventeen years old.

"No," he whispered. "No, no, no!"

"I'm sorry, Ben," Luke said. "They're gone. All of them."

* * *

Ben stood in front of a creature. It was horribly twisted and mangled and the aura surrounding it reminded Rey of the creature in her dreams.

"Take his weapons," the creature snarled. "When I am finished with him, he will be one."

* * *

Rey stood up immediately upon returning to the present.

"What did that creature do to him?" she demanded, not sure why she cared.

"That creature was Snoke," Luke said. "And I will never speak of it. He has been in Ben's mind for a very long time. He would not have been able to resist."

"I think I understand now," she said, trying to decipher the feeling she was having.

"We can save him," Luke said. "At least, I think you can, Rey."

Rey held up her lightsaber, as if truly seeing it for the first time.

"This was my mother's, during her last mission, wasn't it?" she said. Luke nodded. "Then I'll become the Sword of the Jedi."

"You have her spirit," Luke said approvingly.

Rey was about to speak once more when she sensed a shift in the Force.

"He's here."


	7. We Find Ourselves in the Sea

Rey ran. She ran out of the Force Tree, out of its hidden valley to the stone pathway along the cliffs that would lead back to the pavilion. The sun was dramatically setting as the sky turned a treacherously stormy blue. The waves rose, crashing and meeting Rey. She stared out at the horizon. A First Order command shuttle was flying overhead.

She continued to run down to the pavilion and watched in horror as Kylo Ren stepped out of the shuttle with other Knights of Ren. Hatred took over, hatred for the man who killed Han Solo, who hurt Finn, who invaded her mind and ended Luke's Academy. Yet. . . Something was there, a feeling of pity. Pity that the young Ben Solo had become this.

 _Not now_ , she told herself. _You can't feel pity, not now!_

She waited until he had made it to the stop step. Then she charged. She swung at him, and he blocked. She stepped back as she swung again, and he stopped it once more. Luke dashed past her, using the force to enhance his speed and attacked the other Knights of Ren.

 _Focus_ , she reminded herself. She blocked blows as quickly as they came, forcing herself to stay alert, to anticipate the blows.

They continued to battle down the path-the path to the Force Tree.

"You want to burn it, don't you?" Rey cried out in horror as she locked blades with Kylo. "You can't! You can't do this!"

"Why shouldn't I?" he demanded, pushing down harder on the blades.

"You were a Jedi!" she screamed.

"But then Snoke illuminated me," he hissed. She used the Force to push him back, and she ran, ran into the valley of the tree to catch her breath. She turned around and saw him standing there, lightsaber extended towards her. This was her chance.

 _Luke said that you could save Ben Solo._

"You were a Jedi," Rey repeated, softer. He had no response. She had to try, for Luke's sake. Even though she only felt the barest amount of pity towards Kylo, she knew Luke, for whatever reason, still loved him. "I know what you were. I know what Snoke did to you. You still have time. You can make the first step. All of the other Knights are dead! It's over! Luke doesn't want to kill you!"

"But you still want to kill me," he said, exactly the same as he did through the mask. It was then that Rey noticed his scar. The scar she had left.

"And you want to kill me," she replied icily.

He turned his lightsaber. Then he turned it off. The water seemed to pour even harder on them. Rey's saber remained illuminated. She held her breath, waiting for what he would do next, trying to anticipate it in the Force.

 _Breathe. . . Just, breathe._ . .

She could hear those words in her head all too clearly. So she did just that, and was amazed at what she saw. Hatred and love, light and darkness. . . It all mixed together into a messy balance. All of it together. With that, she turned off her own lightsaber.

They stood there, in the rain, unsure of the tense emotions between the two of them.

Then Luke approached.


	8. Power Play

Luke approached his nephew and apprentice. He simply watched them in the rain for a moment. Then he spoke.

"Ben," he said. "I know how you feel."

"You have no idea," Kylo growled.

"You forget," Luke said with a sad, bittersweet smile. "I know you too well, Ben."

"Yet you didn't know that I was going to the Dark Side, did you?" he demanded.

"You think I didn't know?" Luke seemed sadder. "Of course I knew. You're my nephew. I love you Ben. But I know where you are and how you feel. It's not worth it."

"You haven't experienced anything close to where I am," Kylo snarled.

"I remember when I discovered my father was Darth Vader," Luke said. "I know that was when Snoke really got to you. I know that fear. That you would become like him."

There was silence.

"You're afraid you'll never be as strong as Darth Vader," Rey repeated, but with sympathy. "Because Vader was able to turn away."

More silence.

"It's over!" Rey cried, throwing her arms out. "The Knights of Ren are dead. There's nothing left. How do you think Snoke will react to this?"

Kylo turned and stared at Rey. A gust of wind blew so that for a moment, just a moment, the rain wasn't falling. The intensity of love and hate Rey felt from him nearly brought her to her knees. But she was doing something. She had some influence over this dark knight.

"Come home, Ben," she said. "Your mother misses you."

"It's too late for any of that," he insisted. "She hates me."

"She doesn't. She said that she missed her son," Rey said. "Very much. Even after everything you put her through."

She could feel the emotions shifting. Love and hate were a little less intense to make room for grief, grief and remorse that seeped through every crack, filling his heart. Rey searched for the next right words. She would get this right. She didn't know exactly why it was so important, but it simply was.

"And it isn't worth it, is it?" she asked. "It wasn't what you expected, was it?"

To her surprise, he responded, merely by shaking his head. "It. . . Wasn't."

"Come with us, and you can find what you actually want," Rey said. "You will be as strong as Darth Vader."

His dark eyes met hers, and he stepped forward. He offered his lightsaber to her. She met his gaze. She would either die here, like Han Solo did, or he was genuine. She found herself surprisingly willing to find out. And determined that he would choose to be genuine.

Her hand seized around it and she almost jerked it out his large gloved hand. She screwed her eyes shut, afraid of a blazing death. She had not come so far only to die. And she hadn't.

"I see we have a lot to talk about," Luke said. "And a cold rainy night is best for telling stories-don't you think?"

Kylo nodded.

Rey clipped the trisaber to her belt, but did not follow the men. This was her first rainfall that wasn't the meek amount the desert rains relinquished. She stretched her arms out, letting herself get lost in the downpour for once.

She felt reborn.


	9. One Dark Knight

"I'm sure you want to know everything," Ben said with a sigh.

"That would be helpful," Luke said. "How long has Snoke been haunting you?"

"Ever since I can remember," he said with a bitter laugh. "I don't remember a waking moment without him crawling in my mind."

"I should've known," Luke lamented. "I saw him when you were fifteen, when your mother sent you away. . . "

"She knew for much longer than she told anyone," Ben snarled, sounding resentful. "I could feel it in her panic every single time I mentioned the monsters. . . But that doesn't matter now, does it?"

"She was trying to keep you safe!" Rey cried. "At least you have a mother who didn't leave you on a desert planet!"

"At least your parents cared enough to protect you from Snoke!" Ben shouted back. "Your parents loved you enough to make sure he could never reach you!"

"What happened to you was never Leia's fault!" she shouted. "If it was anyone's, it was Snoke's!"

"Let's try to be a little calmer," Luke suggested, and an aura of calm trickled to his two apprentices. "Ben. I admit, I should have done better. I tried to save you and you know it."

"Where were you when he put me in the Embrace of Pain?" Ben seethed. "Where were you when he crept into my mind, telling me that no one cared about me? Where were you when he showed me what would happen to the galaxy if I didn't join him?"

"I was trying to find where he had taken you," Luke said. "Ben, I didn't want to leave you."

"What's the Embrace of Pain?" Rey interrupted.

"It's a living torture device from beyond this galaxy," Ben informed her. "It breaks you until you become what Snoke wants you to be. His apprentice, his slave."

Rey couldn't imagine it.

"I can't change that it happened to you," Luke said. "But it does explain what happened. How in six months you returned as Kylo Ren. What did he show you, Ben?"

"Never mind that," he snarled. "It won't matter, anyway, we'll all see soon enough."

Rey could see the images that he was seeing suddenly. Luke wielding a red lightsaber. A galaxy torn by war. Ben stabbing Luke. A girl who seemed all too familiar sitting on a throne, a dark man beside her.

"Rey! What do you see?" Luke asked.

"A future in which you were evil and there was this girl sitting on a throne. . ." Rey whispered.

Luke looked to Ben. "Is that what you saw?"

"Yes."

"Who was the girl?" Rey asked.

"You." His voice was calm and contemplative. "On the Throne of Balance. You'll be deciding the balance between the Light and the Dark."

"Why would I be any kind of deciding factor?" Rey asked.

"We were friends," he said. "Isn't that enough?"

"We're not now," she said defensively.

"No, we're not," he said, decidedly angry. "But there you have it. I turned to stop a prophecy. Happy?"

Luke said nothing and stood. Then he embraced his nephew. Rey could only watch as the former dark knight started to sob.

* * *

"Why do TIE-Fighters scream?" Ben asked a little Rey. The small girl, only five or six, was staring off at the sky as a small freighter took off. Kyp Aster's personal ship, the Kyber Heart.

"Well, because of the way the thrusters react to-"

"No, because they miss their mothership!" he cried, his eyes alight with glee.

The small girl, being quite literal, frowned. Then a giggle escaped. "You don't know anything about ships."

"Hey, you thought it was funny," Ben pointed out.

"Only because it was so stupid," Rey retorted. She turned the pilot doll over and over in her hands.

"Cheer up," he said. "They'll only be gone for a week at most."

"I know," she said. "Doesn't make it easier."

"Are the dreams coming back?" Ben asked, looking concerned. "The ones about the desert?"

The girl nodded solemnly.

* * *

Rey awakened, remembering just a little bit more. She thought she'd never be able to decide what to feel about Ben Solo.


	10. Force Bond

"Let's take a look at your lightsaber work," Luke said to Rey the next morning. "Come on, let's see it."

She ignited the legacy saber, and waited. Luke drew his own emerald-green one. He was waiting for her first move. She tried a slash, but her stroke was too broad and too far away to actually connect. He gently jabbed, but Rey managed to block that. Then Luke struck, quick and gracefully, and it was all that Rey could do to block it.

In a bout of frustration, Rey tried an overhead strike only for Luke to block it with a sophisticated saber spin like the ones Ben could do. Another spin, and the lightsaber went flying from Rey's hands. Luke summoned it to his hand with the Force and offered it to Rey. She reluctantly accepted.

"You'll need some work," Luke said gently. "You're used to fighting with a quarter-staff, no? Well, your strokes show it. You overestimate the length of your blade, and that ends in you missing severely. You also treat your lightsaber like a stick, not a feather. Ben Kenobi always told me to treat a lightsaber as such- it is a much more elegant weapon than most."

"For a more civilized age, according to you," Ben said as he walked up the hill.

"Ah, Ben, how nice of you to join us," Luke said as if this were an ordinary day in the Academy that no longer existed. "I was lecturing Rey on the fine points of lightsaber dueling. Your specialty, if I remember correctly?"

"I have little to teach her, for she's already beat me in a duel," Ben said stiffly.

"She can't do a saber spin, Ben," Luke said. "And she won your last through diplomacy, not lightsaber work."

Rey glared at Luke, despite the fact that it was true. She hated being bad at something, especially a skill she'd thought she'd mastered.

"I guess I could show her," Ben said with a shrug.

"How nice of you," Rey said, rolling her eyes.

He ignored her and illuminated his lightsaber. The fiery crossguard sprang to life, spitting and hissing sparks.

"Ben, we can make a better lightsaber than that," Luke chastised. "You made a better lightsaber at eleven."

"Well, I was working with a shattered crystal and the worst kriffing materials," Ben snarled. "The Supreme Leader didn't want an apprentice that was too dangerous."

"It's alright," Luke said, placing his hand on Ben's wrist. "I realize that. But we can rebuild it with better materials and better crystals. Remember Mirax Terrik? She made one like this."

"I'll be fine," Ben said coldly. "Let's work on saber-spins, scavenger."

Rey bristled at the mention of what she was- what she used to be. She was no longer no one. She watched as he twirled his lightsaber with a simple flick of the wrist and copied. She tapped into the bond between the two of them and began doing the moves just as he was.

"Very good, Rey, Ben," Luke said approvingly. "And the use of your bond is a good one. A Jedi must use the resources they have."

"Very clever," Ben admitted. Rey could sense admiration from him- strange, considering their uneasy alliance and rivalry, but she could work with that. Admiration was a stepping stone.

Finally, they stopped as the sun rolled high over the island.

"We'll have a lunch, and then we'll work on meditation," Luke said.

Rey looked to Ben. "You're good."

"So are you," he said.

A small smile flicked up her face before she was aware of it. This was a monster complimenting her. But one that was trying, it seemed, to find redemption. She felt a pang of loneliness. She could have turned out like him, and still could.

 _He hurt Finn. I can't forgive him for that._


	11. Shatterpoint

"Alright," Luke said. "We'll be meditating. Meditation is most important to tapping into the Force. Remember what I told you Rey- just breathe. And we'll see what happens from there."

Rey sat cross-legged, and took deep breaths. She sensed a familiar presence- and then she heard it.

" _Rey!" Finn shouted. His back was against the wall, and he was holding his blaster, hands shaking. A girl beside him lay on the ground. Rey couldn't tell if she was breathing or not._

 _"Rey, please!" he cried. "We need help!"_

 _Then she heard the roar of a blade, and everything went black. She could see the girl on the Throne of Balance again. Beside her was a dark figure she did not understand, but he seemed familiar. Her face was cold, cruel._

"Rey!"

Her eyes flew open. She was hovering several feet above the ground, the rocks frozen with her. She fell, and coughed. To her surprise, Ben was at her side, helping her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Finn's in trouble!" Rey said. "I have to find him and save him!"

Luke looked as if he'd seen this before. "It may be better if you do not interfere. But if you truly believe it to be necessary, we'll fight with you."

"We?" Rey asked.

"I'll help you, Force knows why," Ben said.

Rey believed him. That conflict of feelings- something slightly different from hate seemed to be rising above all the other feelings he had towards her. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know what it was- but it didn't matter. They needed to get to Finn.

So they headed for the Falcon and Rey hesitated before punching in the grid numbers. She somehow instinctively knew where he was.

Chewie, Rey, Luke, and Ben all sat in the cockpit, waiting as the ship jettisoned to a planet called Hapes.

Rey closed her eyes, and tried to meditate further. What she saw were lights all around her. She looked around until a silvery-blue figure appeared. The figure was a short humanoid with pointy ears and wrinkled skin with very wise eyes.

"A long way, you have come," the pointy-eared humanoid said. "Not over yet, your journey is. Your first steps, you have taken."

"Who are you?" Rey asked.

"Yoda, I am," the pointy-eared humanoid said. "Jedi Master, I am. Young Skywalker's master, I was. Much like him, you are."

"Thanks," Rey said, preening.

"Not all good, that is," Yoda cautioned. "Impulsive and impatient like his father, Young Skywalker is. But the true heart of a Jedi, you have. Important, that is."

"I see," Rey said, biting her lip.

"Watch over you, I have," Yoda said. "Help you, I have. On Jakku, I did."

Rey remembered seeing a green figure in the desert during a sandstorm when she was thirteen and almost died. She remembered seeing the figure before she would find a new treasure trove, or a source of water. The figure had walked into the Hellhound Two to show her her new home.

"Afraid, you are," Yoda said. "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. Tell Yoda what you fear."

"My best friend could die," Rey said. "Ben could turn on us. I could go Dark."

"Reason, you have," Yoda admitted. "Real, those fears are. But continue, you must. Rebuild the Order, you must. Your mistakes, you must learn from. But shine bright, you will."

Rey took a deep breath. She needed to just breathe, like Master Luke said. Still. . .

"Can you stay with me?" she asked him, offering her hand to Yoda.

"Always with you, the old Jedi are," he assured her, taking her hand. The lights turned into the faces of all the Jedi who ever were. This was her legacy, this was who she would inherit.

"I think I can be brave now. Thank you." Rey said.

Yoda laughed as Rey opened her eyes, his echo remaining in her head.


	12. Millennium

"Rey, wake up," Luke said. "We're about to enter the atmosphere of Hapes."

"Okay," Rey said, sitting up straight. Her finger hovered over the controls as they entered the atmosphere. There was a raging space battle, and Rey wasn't sure who was on her side or not. She took a deep breath, and found herself sensing the presence of allies.

"Get into the turrets!" Rey ordered. "Me and Chewie will keep the Falcon flying, but you and Ben need to keep the enemies off our tail so we can enter!"

Luke saluted her, and scurried down the turrets quickly for an old man. Ben followed, taking the upper turret. Rey focused her attention on the ships. She weaved through openings, letting the Force guide her hands. She and Chewie were working in perfect tandem, as if she were imprinting her will onto him. They made it into the atmosphere, but were pursued by five TIE-fighters.

Rey began to pilot daring swoops and barrel rolls in evasion, which timed nicely with Ben shooting them down. She swerved past a barrage of X-wings, which were helping the fight rather nicely.

She then dived towards the city. She could sense Finn's presence there, and landed. She ran out, lightsaber ignited, past dignified guests fleeing in a panic, stormtroopers chasing them. She miraculously dodged and reflected bullets, until she found Finn.

He was huddled with Poe Dameron and the girl from the vision around a dirty-looking man approximately in his forties. Rey still had to run fifty feet. Faster, faster, she told herself.

A chrome trooper approached the group, her large sniper gun aimed at them.

"You will give us D.J., or we will take it from you," the chrome trooper said. "I don't want my hand to be forced."

"We'll never give it to you, Captain Phasma," the girl snarled.

"So brave, like that sister of yours," Phasma snarled. "I'll tell her how you perished bravely at her next reconditioning."

The girl's eyes widened in a panic, but then the chrome trooper aimed at her, and while the shot was more of a graze, the girl screamed, clutching her side. Finn knelt beside her, and looked to the chrome trooper angrily.

That's when Rey lost it. She tapped into that fury that tempted power, and she charged, only for Phasma to turn, throw her gun aside, and pull out an electrified baton. Rey's strikes were quick, and hard-hitting. It was all Phasma could do to block. She hit one more time, knocking the baton out of Phasma's hand and cut her head off with an overhead strike.

"Very good, Kira," a male voice said.

"Who are you?" Rey demanded.

An old, disfigured man in a golden robe with glowing blue eyes stepped forwards, out of the smoke of gunfire. His presence felt as dark as the black holes in space. Rey felt a cold she only felt in the desert nights. The man did not seem intimidating, but something told her there was more to this man than she thought.

"I've had my eye on you," the man said. "The darkness calls to you, does it not? It calls for revenge against he who hurt your friend, against he who killed the Jedi. You can take your chance now- do it, for here he comes."

Out of the smoke entered Ben. He froze at the sight of the old man. "Supreme Leader, I-"

"Kill him," the old man ordered. "He killed your parents. A life for a life- killing their murderer will take them back."

A fury took over, the fury of the bitter woman that had always been under the surface, the bitterness of all the lonely years- if Ben was the cause-

She charged at him.


	13. Dark Journey

Ben blocked, and froze her. She fought it with the Force, and was running at him, and struck. He blocked, and stumbled back. He opened his mouth to speak, but Rey had heard enough. She swung again, and sparks flew, sending flames flying up.

"Rey! No!" Luke shouted in despair.

Rey was too far gone to hear him. She struck at Ben, who grabbed at the handle of her lightsaber with her free hand, and she grabbed at his. She cried out as hers was pushed towards the ground, and she struggled to break free.

"Rey, you have to stop," Ben said.

"Shut up, parent-killer!" Rey shouted, and she kicked him in the knee cap. He fell to his knees, and she tried to strike, but was thrown backwards. She rose to her feet, and on an impulse, she made a fist and raised it. Ben began choking and rising higher into the air.

A blaster bolt whizzed past her, breaking her concentration, and she looked to where Finn was, beside the girl.

"Rey, please!" Finn leaned into his commlink. "We need help!"

She began stalking towards her former friend that had tried to get in the way of her revenge. He would regret it.

"TRAITOR!" she screamed.

Finn looked down to the girl in a panic, then to Poe. Neither of them were quite sure what to say or do. Their friend seemed gone.

"Leave them alone! It's me you want!" Ben shouted.

Rey turned around, and charged again. At the last second, he stepped out of her way, but she effortlessly turned around, and tried to hit like with a quarter-staff, but came short a few inches.

Before she could strike again, Ben froze her arm.

"Listen to me, Rey, please," he begged. "I'm not a good man, not in the slightest. I know that. But I loved your parents. I went searching for them, remember? Snoke is using you, just like he tried to use me."

Her anger began to dissolve as she realized the truth. Ben was telling the truth. And she couldn't help but think that he helped her save Finn. He was trying to save her, despite everything. She remembered the strange feeling- that positive feeling she could sense radiating from him.

"You love me?" she asked, surprised by her realization.

"I do," he admitted. "I know you don't feel the same way. But if my love for you means anything, put your lightsaber away."

Breathe. Just breathe.

She could hear Luke's words clearly in her mind. So she obeyed- and with the fresh breath came the realization. The old man- Snoke- was the enemy. Not Ben, who was as much a victim as he was a perpetrator. Finn was his victim as well. She realized that Snoke had most likely killed her parents. Snoke was the enemy.

She opened her eyes, and whipped around- but the old man was gone. She looked back to Ben. His expression was honest, open. I feel it too. She turned to Finn, and approached.

"Come on, let's get on the Falcon," she said. "We need to take down the Supreme Leader together."

"Lead the way." Poe said.

Finn scooped up the girl, carrying her in his arms to the Falcon. D.J., the older man, followed meekly. Luke stood in the doorway of the Falcon, and seemed unsurprised by the newcomers. He just simply nodded at Rey, ready for the next adventure.


End file.
